A Fire-Filled Heart
by Mindrider
Summary: A year since he bid Ogygia farewell, Leo returns to the island to retrieve Calypso. What Leo doesn't know is that Calypso has been fighting Gaea every night since he left, and the earth goddess is more than ready to murder Calypso and her beloved Ogygia in one foul swoop... With Leo's help. Caleo one-shot. Enjoy!


Calypso thought she was imagining the familiar silhouette that stood on the other side of the flames.

She was hopeful, though she wasn't naïve. She knew that it wasn't uncommon for the dying to have hallucinations of the loved ones they were leaving behind, though she wasn't sure if the skinny figure battling his way through malevolent flames qualified as a _loved one._ Especially since it was his fault that she was dying.

The scar along Calypso's back screamed loader than her own tongue as her worst fears were realized, and her worst memories emerged from the back of her mind like a monster from the bog. A year had passed since Leo had left her. Calypso had watched that raft float off into the distance, a trace of something warm still tingling on her lips. The sun had set as some sort of ironic backdrop to the fiery figure that set her heart ablaze.

But then the terror set in.

It came in the form of a brittle smell that yanked Calypso's senses away from Leo's receding raft. It came in the form of a bitter hatred that brought new, downturned angles to Calypso's soft features. Not even a minute had passed since the hero – her favorite of them all, though she was not inclined to admit it – had abandoned her, and now she was oppressed by towering columns of fire. Gaea might have warned Calypso that there would _not_ be a place for her, and her beloved Ogygia, in the new earth, but Calypso hadn't expected to be murdered so soon. She hadn't expected the goddess to use fire – _Fire! – _to eradicate her before Calypso could take a breath. She was ripped apart from the inside by a fear that she had never suffered from before.

A fear of fire.

It ate away at her home with a vicious malice and a not-so-subtle hint of ironic cruelty (in that the only person who could have possibly saved her was a speck in the distance). Her mistake was fighting for her home; the beautiful place that she had come to love over time. Calypso fought for the trees and she fought for the sand, and for that she was punished. She was branded by Gaea's wickedness: a long, raw scar creeping across her back, which served as a daily reminder of the terrors she was to face every night.

Every night Gaea would destroy a little piece of Calypso's haven, until Calypso herself was the only thing left, and the goddess would kill her without a second thought. Ever since Leo left her, Calypso was forced to face a different horror every night. Sometimes it was a hurricane, other times a tornado, or even an icy freeze. But the _worst_ was the fire that sprung the night that he finally returned.

A year had passed. Leo arrived at Calypso's miniscule island, his eyes sparkling with longing and excitement. But this excitement had gotten the best of him, for when Leo got excited, fires appeared, and with Gaea determined to murder Calypso, the remains of Ogygia might as well have been made of kerosene. Her little home exploded with flames, and the smile on Leo's face melted as the wall of fire erupted between them.

Calypso watched him as he fought through the flames, thinking about the past year. She was ready to go. She was done fighting these battles night after night, constantly being reminded of the curly haired hero who had left her to rot at the earth goddess's grubby hands. She saw his face through the haze as her scarred back stung with recognition. The boy with fire for blood was trying to save her from his own creation. But Calypso felt her bones ablaze and knew that Leo, a hallucination or not, was too late. She was already burnt too far to mend.

But then why were her eyes suddenly fluttering open, to reveal a bright blue sky?

"Drink this," Leo suggested, holding out a silver canteen.

Calypso's heart picked up its pace at the sight of him. She tried to sit up but her leathery skin felt like a straightjacket.

"Whoa there!" Leo exclaimed. "I know you missed me, but you're in no shape for passionate greetings."

His eyes flickered with something that looked almost like guilt, but it was soon replaced with warmth and affection.

"Please drink this, Calypso, you must be parched."

Calypso hadn't felt the scratchiness in the back of her throat, but now that Leo mentioned it, she realized that her tongue tasted like soot. She reached out for the canteen but her arms screamed in protest. She yelped in pain.

Leo sighed. "I'm sorry. I thought that you would have healed a bit by now but…" His voice cracked. "Nevermind. I can help you."

He reached out and cautiously took her chin between his thumb and forefinger before placing the rim of the canteen against her lips. Calypso took a grateful swallow, allowing the nectar to warm her heart and soothe her bones. When the canteen was empty, she felt stronger. Wincing slightly from the pain, she worked to pull herself up into a sitting position.

"Where's Ogygia?" she asked, staring over the side of the ship at the miles of empty ocean.

"It's gone, Calypso. I'm sorry."

She turned to him. "Gone?"

Leo looked down. "There… There was nothing I could do. It was already burnt to a crisp, and I had to save you Calypso – I had to. The fire…. It almost killed you."

Calypso took a shaky breath. For the first time since she awoke, she looked down at her body. Her arms and legs were scorched a bright red. Her clothes were charred, the edges of the homemade fabric black and curled. Everything hurt, but mostly her back, where the long, crooked scar grimaced in agony. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"We're only a few days from the mainland," Leo reassured her quickly. "Percy has a horde of Apollo campers ready to heal you – your arms and legs will return to normal with their help."

"Percy…" Calypso repeated, her eyes drifting idly down to the sea.

"Oh no," Leo muttered. "_Please_ tell me you don't still have feelings for him."

Calypso felt a pit of emptiness beginning to form in the pit of her stomach as she remembered his sea green eyes and timid smile. She ached. She hurt. The memory of him made her feel twice as wounded. But then she lifted her gaze from the ocean and it landed on a set of chocolate brown eyes that were filled with worry. Her heart melted. She suddenly realized what Leo had done for her. Not only had he saved her life, but he had kept his promise. He had come back for her, something that Percy never would have attempted. She stared into those eyes until they began to grow in size and soon they were closed and Calypso had her lips against Leo's and her burnt arms around his neck. He didn't touch her at all; didn't risk letting his fingers graze her burnt skin. But when she pulled away, happiness filling her heart and laughter filling her lungs, he laughed right on back, letting the wind push his curly hair into his elated eyes.

"That just happened," he said with a wide grin that took up the entire bottom half of his face.

"It did," Calypso agreed. "And I hope it happens a lot more."

Leo blushed a red that was deeper than Calypso's burns. She decided not to tease him and instead stared out at the ocean once more, no longer filled with remorse.

"Can I ask you something?" she wondered after a moment as her eyes traced the flat horizon.

"Anything."

Calypso bit her lip. "How was it that I was able to leave Ogygia? I don't think the gods would have lifted my curse, after all."

"I don't think so either," Leo agreed. "Though I'm not sure if your binding rules still apply if your island is the size of a sandbar."

"It must be truly gone," Calypso realized.

"I'm sorry." Leo's voice was quiet.

Calypso took a breath and then turned towards him, a shy smile pulling the sides of her mouth. "Don't be sorry, Leo. A sandbar with a fire-filled past is a small price to pay for a love with a fire-filled heart."


End file.
